Selectively operable cutoff mechanism for marking machines



Dec. 29, 1953 F. c. GEiLER 4 2,664,159

SELECTIVELY OPERABLE CUTOFF MECHANISM FOR MARKING MACHINES Filed May 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 +2 g as l' I 12 1O 15 22 4g is. 46 7 y 25 15 14 F o O 3'?" 5', 43 15 as 35 I v IN VEN TOR.

C- BY I Jae-0:44 a Y ATTORNEYS.

Deg 1953 Filed y 6, 1950 F. C. GEILER SELECTIVELY OPERABLE CUTOFF MECHANISM FOR MARKING MACHINES 2 SheetS -Sheet 2 em mmw;

RNEYS.

Patented Dec. 29, 1953 SELECTIVELY OPERABLE CUTOFF MECHA- NISM FOR MARKING MACHINES Frederick C. Geiler, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Monarch Marking Machine Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 6, 1950, Serial No. 160,570

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to cut-oii mechanisms utilized in automatic marking machines which are designed to operate on tags and gummed labels fed into the machines in strip form. More specifically, the invention is directed to improved means for selectively moving the knife edge of the cut-off mechanism into and out of effective severing position in order to accommodate two types of dispensing operations. It is required that certain tags which these machines operate on be severed from the strip upon being dispensed and that others, and gummed labels in particular, be dispensed in continuous strip form.

The marking machines for which the mechanism of the present invention is primarily designed, operate cyclically. United States patent application Serial No. 138,375 which was filed January 13, 1950, in thefname of Frederick C. Geiler, discloses a marking machine of this type. The strips of tags or gummed labels are fed from a roll across a table on the machine to a printing station where the individual tags are printed and then dispensed from the machine. The tags and labels, as is the usual practice, are moved intermittently by means of feed fingers which engage in notches cut in the strips between the individual tags or labels. During each cycle of the machine the strips are advanced one tag or label and the printing head descends and retracts. The printing head therefore is especially well adapted to carry the cut-off knife, and particularly at the side of the head adjacent the dispensing point. The printing head has been used for this purpose in marking machines other than the one referred to above in which the blade is rigidly secured to the head so that each time the head descends, the blade passes through the strip of tags or labels. However, in a marking machine designed to operate on both tags and labels the problem of providing means for locking the cut-off knife into and out of effective cutting position is presented.

It has therefore been the primary object of the invention to provide a cut-off mechanism which is adapted to be carried by the printing head in marking machines of the type referred to above and which is arranged to be locked either in or out of effective tag severing position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cut-off mechanism of this type which is easily operated and readily accessible to the operator of the machine; and, in addition, which is arranged so that the position of the knife edge, whether in cutting position or out of cutting position, is instantly apparent to the operator so that at the start of any one run the operator can tell at a glance whether the mechanism is set to effect severance or not.

. In the preferred embodiment of the machine the knife edge of the cut-off mechanism is mounted on a carriage which is slidaoly engaged in a vertical guideway at the dispensing side of the printing head. Preferably, the carriage is spring-urged to the position in which the cut-off knife is removed from effective cutting position. In order to bring the knife edge into cutting position, the carriage simply is depressed against this spring pressure. Once in cutting position, a spring-urged latch pin automatically snaps into place, thus locking the carriage'positively. The

latch mechanism is arranged sothat it can be released easily from the locking position.

The latch pin in addition functions to secure the carriage resiliently in place against the guideway on the printing head. The construction of the mounting is such that the carriage can float slightly ofi the vertical guidewayeven when locked in cutting position. Since the cut-off knife is of the shear type which moves into a slot between, a pair of shear plates, it is important that the eitact alignment between the blade and slot be maintained. A pilot finger on the blade serves as a guide so that the blade is directed correctly and the resilient mounting of the carriage insures that the carriage follows the direction of the finger. Thus, if there is a jam in the machine, or if the parts become misaligned due to wear, the non-rigid mounting of thecarriage on the vertical way permits slight movement of the carriage relative to the head so that the hard brittle edges of the blade are not broken or dulled by hitting the edges of the shear plates.

Other objects and advantages of the present cut-off mechanism will be readily apparent from the detailed description of the drawings in which: Figure l is a fragmentary front elevational view of a marking machine showing the cut-off mechanism of the present invention installed on the printing head.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Figure 1 showing the cut-off mechanism in a position in which the knife edge is raised and out of severing position.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view similar to Figure 3 showing the cut-off mechanism in the depressed position in which the knife edge is in position to efiect cut-ofi.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 in which the printing head is shown in its lowermost posi- 3 tion in which both printing and severing are occurring simultaneously.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 4.

Referring now to Figure l, which shows the cut-off mechanism and the printing head to which it is attached, mounted on a marking machine of the type disclosed in the above referred to application of Geiler, Serial No. 138,375, there is indicated generally at it! the marking machine frame; at H, the printing head; at I2, the feed finger mechanism; and at I3, a strip of tags or labels. The operation of the machine is cyclic. In each cycle the strip [3 is advanced a distance equal to the width of one of the tags or labels by the feed finger mechanism I2, each tag in turn being presented to a printing station which is directly beneath the type-chase I4 carried in printing head I2. If tags are being operated upon and it is desirable to sever each tag as it is dispensed, the cut-off mechanism indicated generally at 5, which is mounted on the left side of the printing head, is adjusted so that the knife, indicated by it, is down and in position to pass through the tag strip when the printing head moves down onto the strip to impress the tag beneath it. If, on the other hand, gumined labels are being fed through the machine and it is desired that they issue from the machine in strip form, then the cut-off mechanism I5 is moved into the raised position shown in Figure 1, so that the knife edge is above the level of the printing faces of the type.

In general, the printing head includes a block I I which is bolted to a guide plate i8. Plate I8 is mounted in vertical guideways at the back of the machine, and the head driven reciprocally by means of a crank arm 23 which is engaged at its lower end with a cam which moves the crank up and down once during each cycle of the machine. The upper end of the crank is bent over as at El and this bent over end engaged within a niche 22 which is milled in the rear face of the block :7. The guide plate I8 is cut out in the area of the niche in order to accommodate the crank arm. Inside niche 22, a coil spring 23 is seated. coil spring is operatively connected with an adjustment mechanism, indicated generally at 24, which is adapted to change the tension of the spring. Adjustment is accomplished by means of a nut 25 which is carried on the threaded lower end of a bolt 26. The lower portion of the bolt is disposed inside the spring and the nut 25 counterturned to provide a shoulder which supports the lower end of spring 23. The lower end of the bolt is rounded and seated in a depression formed in the bottom part of niche 22. while the upper end of the bolt is provided with a knurled knob to facilitate turning. Where the bolt extends above the upper surface of the block ll, an annular groove is provided which is engaged by a forked retainer plate 21. A spring 28, which is disposed between plate 2? and the knurled knob, provides a friction brake to prevent inadvertent rotation of the adjustment bolt. When the bolt is rotated, the nut 25, riding on the threaded portion, changes the tension of spring 23. The turned over end M of the actuating lever is pierced by bol 26 and engaged around the bolt above spring 25. It will be seen, therefore, that if the tension of spring 23 is increased, the force exerted on the labels beneath the printing head is increased and provides heavier and consequently darker printing. When the spring is relaxed, of course, the printing force is lessened. The spring 23 in niche 22 also provides a flexible connection between the crank arm and the printing head in order to translate the rocking motion at the top of the crank arm into direct line movement for the head.

The cut-off mechanism with which the invention is particularly concerned, comprises in general a carriage member 30 which is mounted on the left face 3| of block I'I, that is, on the discharge side of the block. Near its rear edge, a vertical way 32 is milled in the inner face of the carriage. This way engages over the left edge of the guide plate 18, the edge of the guide plate I8 extending beyond the left face 3I of the block I! for this purpose. At the upper end, the carriage includes a flange 33 which extends over the top of block H. A pair of coil springs, indicated at 34-34, having their lower ends seated within bores in the upper face of the block and having their respective upper ends engaged around a pair of pins 35-35, which depend from flange 33, urge the carriage in the upward direction. At the lower end a ledge 36 extends underneath the block ll inwardly toward the type-chase I4. At the inner end of ledge the cut-off blade I6 is mounted. The blade It extends downwardly from the ledge and has a pilot finger 31 at the rear edge thereof which depends into a slot defined by a pair of shear plates 3S38. The two shear plates are mounted as a unit in the frame of the machine, the slot between them being continued on through the frame so that the webs of paper out out by the knife fall clear of the plates. The cutting edge of the blade itself may take diiicrent configurations, the one shown being an inverted V so that a progressive shear action takes place as the blade passes through the tag iaterial.

The carriage is maintained in place by a springurged latch pin 46. in 49, in addition, provides means for locking the carriage in the down or cutting position and means for releasing the carriage so that it can move up under the action of the coil springs 34 to the non-cutting position. The pin extends through the block at right angles to the carriage. The pin at the left end includes a hexagonal head 4|, and just inwardly of the head, a collar 42. Inwardly of the collar 2. guide shank 43 of lesser diameter than the collar is provided, and the pin terminates in a threaded shank 44 of lesser diameter than the guide shank 43. The bore in the block through which the pin extends is of two diameters. Toward the head end of pin 40, the bore is of such diameter that it receives the guide shank 43 in slip-fit relationship. Approximately midway between the two faces of the block, the terminus of the larger diameter portion of the bore provides a shoulder 45. A coil spring 45 is seated Within the larger portion of the bore, surrounding the threaded shank portion of the pin and having its inner end seated against shoulder 45. At the other end, the spring 46 rests against the inner face of the collar portion 4'! of a nut 43 which is threaded onto shank 45 of the pin, thus acting to urge the pin to the right. The collar 41 is of such diameter that it is received within the larger portion of the bore in slip-fit relationship.

The pin passes through the carriage at a keyshaped slot 50. The upper portion of the keyshaped slot is cut circularly as at 5| on such a diameter that the collar 42 on pin 40 can be received therein. The lower portion 52 of the keyshaped slot is cut so that guide shank 43 can be received therein in slip-fit relationship. It will be observed that collar 42 is as wide as the thickness of the carriage around key-shaped slot 56. Thus, when the carriage is depressed against the action of the pair of springs 34-34, as shown in Figure 4, the enlarged portion 5| of the key slot comes into alignment with collar 42,and under the action of spring 46, the pin is urged to the right seating the collar within the upper portion of slot 59. When the pin is moved in the other direction, that is, by pressing on the end at nut 48, spring 46 is compressed and collar 42 is moved to the left out of the slot 50, and under the action of the coil springs 3434 the carriage moves upwardly engaging the outer end of guide shank 43 in the lower portion 52 of slot 50.

In summary, in order to set the cutting edge of blade It in operating position, the carriage is pushed down against the pressure of springs 34-34 until collar 42 of the pin snaps into the upper portion 5| of the key-shaped slot 50. To set the blade so that it is ineffective, the pin 49 is pushed out to the left, thus lining up shank 43 with the key-shaped slot so that the carriage is free to snap up under the force of springs 34--34.

It is to be noted that in both positions, the carriage is urged inwardly against the left face of the block H by the action of spring 46. When collar 42 is engaged with the key slot, the head 4! of pin 46 is engaged with the outer face of the carriage surrounding slot 59, and when the shank 43 is engaged within slot 59, the shoulder between collar 42 and shank 43 is engaged against the outer face of the carriage surrounding the slot. Thus, at all times the carriage is springurged into seating engagement on the edge of guide plate 18. This arrangement provides a safety factor in that it is possible for the carriage to move slightly 01f, or rock on, the edge of guide plate 18. The mounting, being non-rigid,

insures that the carriage follows the guiding action of the pilot finger when the finger moves down in the slot between shear plates 3839. Thus, if the printing head and slot become misaligned slightly, through wear or other means, the pilot finger is able to guide the resiliently into saidslot, spring means urging said carriagetoward an elevated position with respect to said vertically reciprocating member in which the knife is above said shear plates when said vertically reciprocating member is at the lowest point in its reciprocating movement, a releasable latch pin mounted in said vertically reciprocating member and engageable with the carriage for locking said carriage in a lowered position relative to said vertically reciprocating member in which said cut-01f knife is within said slot when said vertically reciprocating member is at the lowest point in its reciprocating movement, and means associated with said latch pin adapted to hold said carriage against the side oi said vertically reciprocating member resiliently whereby the pilot finger is effective for guiding said outoff knife into said slot despite misalignment of the reciprocating member with respect to said slot.

FREDERICK C. GEILER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

